Printed on: 04/09/2026. Please go to policy.umn.edu for the most current version of the document.
University of Minnesota  Appendix

Contract Process

Sidebar

Expand all

Sidebar

Table of Contents

TOC placeholder

Governing Policy

Questions?

Please use the contact section in the governing policy.

Leave Feedback
  1. If the transaction is an external sale, contact the Office of External Sales.
  2. If the transaction involves a lease or use of University space or use of the other party's space, contact the Real Estate Office in accordance with Administrative Policy: Use and Lease of Real Estate and related Administrative Procedures.
  3. If the transaction involves sponsored research, contact the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration.
  4. If the transaction involves licensing or transferring University patents, contact Technology Commercialization.
  5. If the transaction is not an external sale, real estate, research, or technology commercialization matter, check the Standard Contracts Library to see if there is a pre-approved form you can use. If the other party wants to use their form, inform them that the University form must be used in all but extraordinary circumstances. 
  6. If the transaction involves software, vendor IT services or products that collect, transmit, process or store University data, ensure that the Vendor/Supplier Management Standard in Administrative Policy: Information Security is followed. Additional process guidance can be found at Technology Self-Help or Vendor/Supplier Management in Atlas (login required).
  7. If the transaction is a purchase, attempt to offer the vendor the University’s Purchase Order or Contract for Professional Services terms and conditions, generated in the Enterprise Financial System.
  8. If the transaction is a purchase or license, and there is no standard contract form:
    1. See if there is a U-Wide Contract (not applicable for purchases of software or technology services).
    2. If there is not a U-Wide contract, review contract for business risks. 
    3. Have the contract reviewed by the subject matter experts outside OGC, if any. 
    4. Determine if the contract is exempt from OGC review (See Appendix: Purchasing Contracts that are Exempt from Review by the Office of the General Counsel).
    5. If you are not using a standard contract, an OGC approved agreement, and the contract is not exempt from OGC review, send to [email protected] along with a Contract Review Form.
    6. Individuals with delegated authority may sign the agreement after considering risks identified by OGC and subject matter experts.